Khyber Pass Pub Preview

Last night the brothers Egan were fortunate enough to score an invitation to a preview of the Khyber's newest, most southern-fried incarnation. Walking up 2nd St. we saw the old black and white Khyber signage being removed.

Upon entering the newly re-renamed Khyber Pass Pub it appears as though not much has changed. Still the same old beautiful bar with lots of great craft beer tap handles. It's a little cleaner and the bathrooms have (mercifully) been made over and now feature locks and functioning plumbing.

Really, it's when one turns the corner and enters the old performance space that the work that Steve Simons and co. put into the place becomes apparent. The long narrow room features banquettes on both sides and beadboard wainscotting. The formerly flyer'd over windows have been cleaned and the woodwork repainted. The new wood floors and the roughly finished tables looked fantastic in the dimly lit room. The space still feels a bit raw - the tin ceiling may yet get a paint job, some of the light fixtures were not installed - but overall it's remarkably inviting given its prior state. (Check out Mealticket's pictures from last night as they remembered to bring a camera that is not also a phone. Whoopsie Goldberg)

While perusing menus, we snacked on bacon fat popcorn with cajun spices. The glistening popped kernels packed some heat and were well salted. This brown bag snack might rival the truffled version from chef Mark McKinney's sister kitchen at the Royal Tavern.

We tried a few things from the regular menu as well. The fried chicken was far and away the favorite. The salty, crispy skin concealed some incredibly moist, succulent meat, and the collard greens were a surprise hit with a generous amount of smokey bacon. We also tried the gumbo and the fried oysters, which were solid choices.

Needing something sweet to counter all the fried food, we tried three desserts: chocolate pecan bread pudding (a must-have), bourbon-maple creme brulee (as awesome as it sounds) and vegan red velvet cake (a little dry with overly sweet icing).

Some beer highlights from a really interesting and diverse list of taps:

• Ballast Point "Even Keel" - A generously hopped session ale. Maybe the most memorable beer of the night. Incredible grapefruit/citrus aroma, juicy and herbal (notes of hibiscus) and wonderfully refreshing.
• Two Brothers "Heavy Handed" - A delicious harvest ale. Hoppy, straw colored with a nice foamy head. A nice counterpoint to the spicy bacon-fat popped kernels.
• Dock Street "West of Center" - On hand pump. Due to the malt character of this dark brew we mistook this for a bitter; but according to Dock St. it is a ("Not-So") Pale Ale. Great beer for a blustery, rainy Monday.
• Philadelphia Brewing Co. "Harvest from the Hood" - Neither overly sweet nor hoppy. Well-balanced with a roasted malt character. Possibly the best beer PBC has ever put out.

Overall the Khyber felt like a comfortable extension of the Royal Tavern in appearance, food and vibe. We look forward to trying more of the menu and seeing how the beer program develops.

Thanks to the folks at the Khyber for hosting and treating us.

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The Khyber Pass Pub

56 S. Second St.

Philadelphia, PA

Obamagang Follow Up

Tim & I made it to Tria (Washington West) yesterday to sample Ommegang's Inauguration Ale.
Here's what Tim had to say:
"I found it very well balanced, and as not a huge fan of cherries, was
pleasantly surprised that there was just the barest hint of cherry,
and sourness, to balance the richness of the chocolate and roasted
malt flavors."
Here are my thoughts:
Very dark in color but surprisingly light in body. It was pretty easy going for an imperial porter/stout. Very smooth and, as Tim mentioned, just a bit of that sour cherry bite at the end.

I heard that some bars are hoarding kegs of this stuff (possibly to haul out for Philly Beer Week!) and I don't blame them.

The Art of the Well Poured Pint

It is our belief that Philadelphia is the best beer city on the eastern coast of these United States. It seems that every other week a new beer bar opens in a different neighborhood. But just because we're the best doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement. We've been to quite a few ale houses, taprooms, saloons, birrerie and brewpubs in this fair city. We've encountered our fair share of headless pints, overfilled to the point of spilling. It's always a shame to witness the waste of all that tasty foam. On the other hand we've also seen an impatient draftsman completely ruin an Irish stout (the resultant pint consisted of more head than pint and the unlucky patron was forced to give the bartender a crash course in pouring a nitro beer). But we broggers are not here to denigrate. We are for to celebrate the best this city has to offer. To those who cannot pull a pint, who do not let their Guiness settle to perfection: allow us to put you on the road to recovery. Go to these establishments to learn how the professionals do it. We hereby present an incomplete, entirely informal and utterly biased guide to "The Best Pints in Philadelphia."

The Bards - a religious Guinness experience.
Grace Tavern - Reese (aka the best bartender in the city) will have you "covered like a blanket," which is a good thing.
Memphis Taproom/Local 44 - They pull the handpump to great effect.
Standard Tap - Consistently excellent. Check out their firkin wednesdays.
The 700 Club - Knowledgeable staff and delicious beer served properly in the appropriate glassware. Also, there's futbol on the telly.


We will be adding others to the list as they come to mind. In the meantime, we put it to you: where do you go for the perfect pint?

Wake me up when the wings get here

That would be Local 44's sticky wings: meaty miniature chicken limbs sticky with a sweet, spicy glaze.  No dipping sauces offered and thankfully not necessary.   A real hot-wings lover would probably be disappointed, and even my Irish tastebuds could've handled some more spice, but after a long afternoon of football and beer, the wings hit the spot.  Your humble Broggers worked our way through a solid third of the draft list: the beer highlights of the day for me were the Sly Fox Pale Ale on cask, and Elysian's Immortal IPA.  This cold weather is getting me back into getting back into big beers.  

bluebird of happiness

Perhaps that should be E-A-G-L-E-S of happiness. Spent a lovely Sunday afternoon in Spruce Hill at the newly opened Local 44. Sampled the food as well as a few of their 20-odd draft selections. Thoroughly enjoyed the Coniston Bluebird Bitter. Its a light bodied, slightly hoppy session beer from Britain. I noticed some citrusy/fruity aftertastes that were altogether enjoyable.
Also, I heard the Philadelphia Soul won a big game today...